Machine for forming a flexible area in tubular plastic resinous drinking straws



Feb. 10, 1970 9. MUELLER 3,493,998 MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINDUS DRINKING STRAWS Filed June 2, 1967 19 Sheets-Sheet l HI L k 9. mi".

INVENTOR. H MART/N MUELLER iii M. MUELLER Feb. 10, 1970 MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS l9 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 2, 1967 INVENTOR. MART/N lW/ELLER BYCM4?( 7 1 H Fes; 10, 1970 MACHINE FOR F0 M. MUELLER 3,493,998 M NG A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC m Q H m WM w h m Q W Filed June 2,

M. MUELLER MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC Feb. 10, 1970- 3,493,998

RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS l9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 2, 196'? INVENTOR MART/N MUELLER Feb. 10, 1970 M. MUELLER MACHINE FOR FORMING-A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS i Filed June 2, 1967 19 Sheets-Sheet 6 l/Vl/E/VTOR MART/N MUELLER 3,493,998 PLASTIC Feb. 10, 1970 YMACHINE FOR FORMING INVEA/TOR MART/Al MUELLER B), Q EH V Feb. '10, .1970 M. MUELLER 3,493,998

MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC 5 l 9 S h e e t s S h e e t mlwv Feb. 10, 1970 M. MUELLER 3, ,9

MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE ARE'A 'IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS Filed June 2, 1967 19 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR. MART/IV MUELLER QM E 12TH- Feb. 10, 1970 M. MUELLER 3,493,993

MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINQUS DRINKING STRAWS Filed June 2, 1967 19 Sheets-Sheet 10 INVENTOR. MART/N MUELLER CM l y.

Feb. 10; 1970 r M. MUELLER. 9

' MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS INVENTOR. MART/IV MUELLER BY E H Feb. 10, 1970 M. MUELLER 49 ,9

MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINQUS DRINKING STRAWS Filed June 2, 196'. 19 Sheets-Sheet 12 mvmox. MART IN MULLER Feb. 10, 1970 M. MUELLER MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN. TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS l9 Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed June 2, 196? Du M M w Q g M a w y m f M M NQ n9 m9 \m9 vi \9 a QS k vm. Mk ////////////////////7/ 17///////J 7////// TW I wm\ nn\\fi 0 vv .9 Q 5 \9 m9 lm H g wd I nmxwmw w MQqfi m k9 m9 m aw N v T L R 3 //V/ y 1 m9 NK E Wm 5: ms .09 \Q vm TMM T mm Feb. 10, 1970 M. MUELLER 3,493,998 MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC nmsmous DRINKING STRAWS Filed June 2, 196'? 19 Sheets-Sheet 14 INVENTOR. MART/N MUELLER Feb. 10, M. MUELLER MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS Filed June 2, 196'? 19 Sheets-Sheet 15 f DRUM E7 /L F T26 MANDRELS STRAWS 80 A l- STRAW DIS- CHARGE AREA I F Z g NE5 l 73 1 i GRIPPERS co-o AND I I A RAISED AR LR 5 v88 STRAWS A \FRICTION CORMPLETELY a DRAG BARS EMOVED FROM MANDRELS a O ZONE4 64 a 4 6 FIRST RETRACT R AREA- ST mm a BEING SLOWLY Em44 ONE PUSHER RETRACTED 4 ROTATIOL GRIPPE OF CLOSED FROM a CARRIER 0N STRAW MANDRELS a DRUM so 44 STRAW A ROTATE //9 zones 0 a I M LDI e /43 PUSHER- 2 g, GRIPPERS l RAISED o l I TRAWS i INSERTEDON &5?

MANDRELS BUT fi NOT ON a STRAW- PUSHING ONLY a 72 ZONEI fi P n i A (IINSERTING 47 MECHANISM 77 fI g2 46 I MANDREL 73 INVENTOR.

MART/N MUELLER Feb. 10, 1970 MACHINE FOR FORMIN RES Filed June 2, 1967 M. MUELLER 3,4 G A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLAST INOUS DRINKING STRAWS 19 Sheets?Sheet l6 iiil 67 willll III/I.

INVE/VTR- m /47 MART/N MUELLER gyc C Feb. 10, 1970 M. MUELLER 3,493,998

MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS Filed June 2, 196'? 7 l9 Sheets-Sheet l7 //vv/vr0/?.

MART/N MUELLER BYQZQAMQQW Feb. 10, 1970 M. MUELLER MACHINE FOR FORMING A FLEXIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS 19 Sheets-Sheet 18 Filed June 2. 1967 l/VVE/V 0/? MART/N MUELLER BYQ fa Feb. 10, 1970 M MUELLER 3, 3,9 8

MACHINE FOR FORMING A iLExIBLE AREA IN TUBULAR PLASTIC RESINOUS DRINKING STRAWS Filed June 2, 1967 19 Sheets-Sheet 19 BYWQCW United States Patent Int. Cl. B29c 17/00 US. Cl. 1819 23 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Tubular plastic resinous drinking straw members are fed sequentially from a storage hopper into straw-receiving slots or pockets formed in the eripheral surface of a rotating cylindrical carrier drum. As the carrier drum rotates the tubular straw members are pushed by combination straw-pushing and gripping devices carried by the rotatable carrier drum, onto rotating threaded forming mandrels which are carried by and are rotated with a mandrel housing or carrier which rotates with the carrier drum. The tubular straw members are rotated in synchronism by the mandrels in engagement with a heated forming die and a pressure belt device to mold a ribbed area composed of crests and valleys in the bodies of the tubular straw members to provide a flexible area therein which enables the upper portion of the completed drinking straw to be bent at an angle relative to the lower portion thereof during use to facilitate drinking therefrom. After the molding or forming operation, the thus formed tubular drinking straws are withdrawn from the forming mandrels and are ejected from their receiving slots or pockets in the carrier drum into a receiving tray from which they may be Withdrawn for use.

OBJECTS An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved machine for forming or molding a flexible area in tubular plastic drinking straws.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved machine for forming or molding a flexible area composed of alternate crests and valleys in the plastic resinous bodies of tubular drinking straw members and between the ends thereof to enable the upper portion of each thus formed plastic resinous drinking straw member to be bent at an angle relative to the body thereof during use so as to facilitate drinking therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved machine for forming or molding a flexible area in plastic resinous tubular drinking straws, and which enables the plastic resinous drinking straws to be thus formed or molded in a rapid and economical manner.

An additional object of the invention is to provide in the new plastic resinous drinking straw forming machine a novel rotatable carrier drum for sequentially receiving plastic tubular drinking straw members from a storage ho per and moving them into molding or forming position, and novel means for rotating the tubular plastic resinous drinking straw members in synchronism on their supporting and forming mandrels into and out of engagement with a heated molding die unit for molding a ribbed flexible area therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel ejecting means on the rotatable carrier drum for ejecting the formed or molded tubular plastic resinous drinking straw members from the carrier drum and discharging them into a receiving tray or like receptacle.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel construction and arrangement of forming man- "ice drels and for supporting and driving the forming mandrels in relation to the carrier drum and the heated die molding unit, and in relation to the parts and devices mounted on and carried by the carrier drum.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel mandrel housing which is rotated in unison with the rotata-ble carrier drum and has a plurality of straw-supporting and forming mandrels rotatably mounted therein and spaced at radial intervals therearound, and novel means for rotating the straw-supporting and forming mandrels relative to the mandrel housing and the rotatable carrier drum.

An additional object of the invention is to provide novel means for retracting the formed tubular drinking straw members from their supporting and forming mandrels after the completion of the forming or molding operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel flexible pressure belt device for urging the tubular plastic resinous drinking straw members on their supporting and forming mandrels into engagement with the heated molding or forming die unit.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for sequentially feeding of the tubular plastic resinous drinking straw members from a storage hopper into straw-receiving slots or pockets provided therefor in the rotatable carrier drum.

An additional object of the invention is to provide novel means for adjusting the position of the heated forming die body relative to the forming mandrels so as to vary the depth of the crests and valleys to be formed in the tubular straw members during the forming operation.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES IN DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the new plastic resinous drinking straw forming machine;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front perspective view of the feed hopper area and adjacent parts of the machine;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the rotatable carrier drum, forming mandrels, and combination straw-pushing and gripping devices embodied in the new plastic resinous drinking straw forming machine;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing part of the rotatable carrier drum, forming mandrels, and the receiving trays for the completed drinking straws;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating parts of the rotatable carrier drum, forming mandrels and the heated forming die unit embodied in the new plastic resinous drinking straw forming machine;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View illustrating the timing sequence in the operation of the forming mandrels, mandrel housing and carrier drum embodied in the new plastic resinous drinking straw forming machine;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating parts of the rotatable carrier drum, forming mandrels, and the combination straw-pushing and gripping devices which are embodied in the new plastic resinous drinking straw forming machine, and illustrating the manner in which the combination straw-pushing and gripping devices push the tubular plastic drinking straw members onto the forming mandrels;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating parts of the rotatable carrier drum, forming mandrels, holding rollers and straw retarders for retarding the axial motion of the formed tubular straw members after the completion of the forming operation; 

